This invention relates generally to an electrical ground fixture and more particularly concerns a combined pipe and securing means for an electric ground wire of a house or other building.
One present method of grounding the electrical service and equipment in a building in the city is by attaching a wire from the neutral bar and box case to the supply water pipe (copper) ahead of the meter, by means of a ground clamp. The standard ground clamp now in use consists of a pair of plate members formed to fit about a pipe and secured thereon by two screws, one on either side of the plate. A third screw secures the ground wire in position on one of the plate members. Canadian Pat. No. 528,644 of Cutler et al, issued Aug. 7, 1956 illustrates a type of such clamp. Not only does such a clamp require a minimum of three screws to provide the necessary electrical connection, but also, after several years, rust and corrosion are inevitable, the clamp being made of iron or some other such sturdy metal so that galvanic action is set up, thus causing a potential obstacle to the ground path between the ground wire and the supply pipe. Moreover, a strong electrician mounting such a clamp may be able to crimp and distort the copper pipe.
In the country, where water is supplied from a well, in addition to the ground wire being thus clamped to the water pipe, two ground rods are driven into the earth.
Canadian Pat. Nos. 778,512 of Sodderland et al, issued Feb. 13, 1968; 934,458 of Sotolongo, issued Sept. 25, 1973 and 968,431 of Thompson et al, issued May 27, 1975 describe and illustrate other types of ground connectors or clamps which wrap about or straddle a pipe or conduit and to which a ground wire is connected. These references are of general background interest with respect to the present invention. Similarly, background references are the electrical connectors and clamps described and illustrated in Canada Pat. Nos. 403,092 of Mebold, issued Feb. 24, 1942; 451,442 of Bakke, issued Sept. 28, 1948 and 726,298 of Wolf, issued Jan. 18, 1966. Each describes a separate clamping device used to connect together one or more electrical conductors and designed to operate as a separate unit or to be mounted to a panel board (as in the case of Wolf).
It is an object of the present invention to provide a simple, effective means of securing a ground wire from the electrical service of a building to a supply water pipe or other conduit, or to secure a ground wire between a conduit and, for example, a vibrating machine. It is a further object of the present invention to provide an acceptable alternative to the two plate, three-screw ground clamp for securing a ground wire to a water pipe or conduit which will not crimp or distort portions of the pipe, which will be simpler to install and operate, and which may avoid problems of corrosion heretofore prevalent with such clamps.